


Because We Deserved Better

by MovieWocher



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: A little angst, After all these years, Camren - Freeform, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-03-24 15:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13814121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MovieWocher/pseuds/MovieWocher
Summary: A chance encounter. A chance to set things rights. A chance to say their sorrys. And maybe a chance to say hellos once more. Or maybe a chance to say a proper goodbye.Camila and Lauren meeting years after all hell broke loose between them. There were no audience, no fans, no friends, no family. Just the two of them in a random jogging path.





	1. Chapter 1

**Camila**

“Are you sure you don’t want me to tag along?” Matthew asked once more as Camila doubled back to the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Camila said as she got water out of the refrigerator. “And I haven’t been trying to get your attention with all these walking back and forth. I really just forgot.”  

“For the third time?” Matthew grinned at his girlfriend. “I mean, I can get away for a few hours.” He said as he started to get up.

“No,” Camila laughed as she gently pushed him back to the couch. “You work, I run.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Camila leaned down and gave Matthew a quick kiss. “And this way, I’m not going to feel pressured to end my run quickly. See you later?”

“I’ll be here,” Matthew answered as he settled down and went back to typing on his laptop. Immediately engrossed on creating his new article, he didn’t even hear the door closed.

Camila turned on her playlist as she walked to her car. She was excited about this new place. She heard from a few friends that the jogging path although has been there forever was still relatively unknown. No one will see her sweating buckets and panting uncontrollably after running only a few miles. No one will see her even if she slips on the ground. It was going to be perfect.

**Lauren**

“Come on, it’s going to be fun babe,” Lauren said as she tried to pull Ty away from his recliner.

“You know I’m not too much into this running thing,” Ty smiled indulgently. “Take Mario with you, he likes to run.”

“I don’t want Mario, I want you,” Lauren whined as she sat on Ty’s lap and played with his ears.

“I know,” Ty said as he grabbed Lauren’s hands and kissed them. “I’ll make it up to you later, I promise. We can even go to that the vegan place you like so much.”

“Really?” Lauren asked as a smile slowly emerged from her pouting face.

“Yes, so hurry up with your running and get back here before I change my mind.” Ty said in a teasing tone.

“I’ll get here when I get here,” Lauren said as she stood up. “I need to lose a few pounds so that I’ll have room for a big dinner later.” She then gave Ty a flying kiss from the door. “See you later, babe”

“Take Mario!”

“Nah,” Lauren shook her head. “I’m going to be fine. Only a few people know about this jogging path.”

“What?” Ty stood up, a little bit alarmed.

“It’s perfectly safe. Lots of celebrities go there and not one paparazzi… yet.”

“Okay,” Ty sat back down. “Have fun.”

**Camila**

Oh God, I’m going to die. Camila repeated the phrase over and over again in her mind as she forced herself to run. She may have bitten more that she can chew this time. She should have turned around an hour ago but no, she had to prove to herself that she can do this 5 miles uphill. So she ignored all the warning signs from her body and continued running. And now her heart was beating a million times per minute, her thighs were burning, her legs felt like jelly and she was just ready to fall down on the rocky ground and never get back up.

She looked down at her watch and saw that she still has two miles to go uphill. And that’s when it happened. That split second she took to look at her watch was enough for her foot to get caught in a vine, twist her ankle, and lead her face down to the ground.

All movement she made resulted in a burst of pain. Her foot was trapped in the vine. She called out a few times but there was no one. She tried her phone and there was no signal.   

It has only been ten minutes but it felt like hours to Camila. “It’s been a good life,” she muttered as she lay face down on the ground, unmoving.

“Oh my God, are you okay?”

Camila lifted her head towards the voice. Thankful that someone found her before she died and rotted away. That’s when brown eyes met green. She then watched as the look of concern turned into recognition and then shock and then hysterical laughter.

“What are you doing down there?”  

“Studying the social behavior of ants.” Camila deadpanned. “What do you think? I slipped.” Camila added her voice rising.

“Then get up.”

“I would if I could. I think I twisted my ankle.”

“That sucks,” Lauren said as she walked over to where Camila was lying down. She bent down to look at Camila’s ankle. “The right one is definitely swollen.”

“Thanks Dr. Jauregui. How about giving me a hand instead of a diagnosis.”

“I don’t know.” Lauren said apprehensively as she stepped back. “It might not be a good idea to move you.”

“I don’t think, me lying here on the ground is a better option. And it’s getting cold. I don’t want to stay here any longer,” Camila said as she looked up at her old friend. “Help me, Lauren.”

“Why don’t you call your boyfriend? Or whomever you went here with.” Lauren said, not moving from her spot.

“I came here alone and you probably haven’t noticed, but the signal here is pretty weak. That’s probably the reason there’s not a lot of people here.”

Lauren took out her phone and hummed and hawed as she moved her phone around.

“Lauren…”

“I’ll just call for help. I’ll be right back.” Lauren said as she pocketed her phone.

“It’s three miles back down. That will take you 30 minutes tops and then another 30-40 minutes for someone to get here. That’s an hour minimum. Don’t leave me, please.”

Lauren sighed as she stepped towards Camila. She moved the vine around until she freed Camila’s foot. She then put her arms around Camila and helped her stood up without putting weight on her right foot. It took them about a couple of minutes to just get Camila to stand up.  

“Now what?” Lauren asked as she felt Camila leaning heavily towards her.

“Go down… very slowly?” Camila answered sheepishly.

“I do have dinner plans, you know,” Lauren said as she placed her arms firmly on Camila’s waist and took one step slowly.

“Well, if it make you feel any better, so do I.”

“Not really. Ty finally agreed to join me in my favorite vegan restaurant. And that offer won’t last long.”

“You’re not really going to leave an old lo... fri... bandmate here all alone, right?” Camila’s voice rising again but now in worry.

“So that’s what we are, huh? Just old bandmates?”


	2. Chapter 2

Camila glanced at Lauren, unable to tell if she was serious or not. Instead she found Lauren squinting at the effort of carrying both their weights as they slowly walked down the trail. Camila let a few minutes pass before speaking up.

“I’m surprised you don’t have an entourage with you.”

This time Lauren looked at her with one eyebrow raised and a smile playing on her lips. “I could say the same with you.”

“I’m not the one with the rapper boyfriend. Don’t they always travel in groups?”

“They… not me. I’m still my own person, you know.”

“I wouldn’t.” Camila muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

Camila cleared her throat. “I said I wouldn’t know. It’s been years since we last talk to each other. For all I know you’ve turned into totally different person.”

They heard some rustling from behind them and when they turned around, there was a couple of people going down the path.

“Do you need help?” One of the woman asked.

“No,” they both answered at the same time before looking at each other in surprise.

“Are you sure?”

They continued staring at each other a few seconds more before Camila nodded her head. “Yes, this is our bonding time. We’re fine.” Lauren said as she turned to the group and smiled at them.

“Okay then. Take care.”

After a few minutes, the group was lost from their sight. Lauren and Camilla walked their tiny little steps in silence. It was awkward yet at the same familiar and comforting.

“How are you and Matthew?” Lauren asked as they rounded a corner.

“Good,” Camila answered without any enthusiasm. “We’re in a good place.”

“You always loved your white boys.”

Camila turned her head towards Lauren so quickly, she nearly added whiplash to her injury. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Let me see… there’s Austin, there’s Michael, and there’s Matthew. Need I say more?”  

“You really want me to say it, do you?”

Lauren merely stared ahead. 

Camila sighed. “You missed one Lauren, definitely not white, not boy.”

“Wasn’t that just a phase.”

“I’ll let you know once I’m over her.”

It was Lauren’s turn to look at the girl beside her. “You’re hilarious because that’s got to be a joke.”

“Of course it is, hahaha.” Camila forced a laugh. “You know me, a regular joker.”

They walked a few more steps before Camila asked to rest for a few minutes. When they found a couple of nice rocks, they stopped, and Camila sat down.

“Let me look at your ankle again,” Lauren asked as she sat on her knees in front of Camila.

Camila lifted her right foot and placed it on top of Lauren’s thigh. Lauren gently touched her ankle but still earned a groan from Camila. Then more gently, she started massaging her ankle. Camila closed her eyes as the pain disappeared.

“I almost forgot how good you were with massages.” Camila murmured.

“Shut up and just enjoy it.” Lauren said.

The next time Camila opened her eyes, it was dusk. Lauren was sitting by her foot, still massaging it. She sat up in alarm. “You should have woken me up.”

“It’s okay. We’re nearly there, I checked. Probably fifteen minutes with our speed.”

“Okay then.” Camila said, a little calmer. “We should probably get started.”

Lauren stood up and placed her arms around Camila and helped her stand up.  Then they were walking again.

“While you were doing your Sleeping Beauty bit, I got to thinking.” Lauren said as she led the way.

“About what?”

“About how we left things.”

“We don’t have to do this, Lauren.”

“Yes, we do. It’s been far too long with so many things left unsaid. And who knows if we’ll ever get another chance like this.”

Camila pulled away from Lauren and turned to face her. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. Maybe it’s better to just let sleeping dogs lie.”

“I won’t force you to say anything if you don’t want to. But I have a few things I need to get of my chest.”

Camila nodded, urging Lauren to continue.

“One, I’m sorry for the way I acted back then. I was young, we both were. That’s no excuse, of course. But it’s my reason. I thought I handled it the best way I can. I thought denying what we had was the right thing to do… even to myself.” Lauren said in one breath.  “Two, I… you know… really felt something for you. It wasn’t a game or just because I was bored and lonely and messed up. I really did love you in my addled teenage heart.” She added searching for a reaction from Camila. There was none. “And three, above all things, I’m sorry I didn’t fight for you. It’s probably one of the biggest regrets in my life.”

Camila just stood there, blinking.

“I could elaborate more, if you want me too.” Lauren started talking quickly again. “I just tried to keep it short and concise. I didn’t think we have a lot of time and ---”

Camila raised her hand to stop Lauren from babbling. “No, it’s fine. It just a lot to process for one afternoon on a sprained ankle.”

At first it was just wind and leaves. Then faint sound of voices wafted in and getting louder by the second.

“Signal was good when I checked how far along we were. So I called Ty and had him call Matthew. That’s probably them.” Lauren explained. Then without another word, she took a step closer and grabbed Camila’s hand. “Don’t forget what I told you. And I hope that one day, we’ll be friends again.” Then hearing the sound of footsteps, Lauren released Camila’s hand and turned towards the sound.   


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Camila found herself being doted upon by Matthew. Propped up by several pillows on their bed, she watched as he kept bring her food, drinks, magazines, and asking her if she wants anything else. At first, she found it endearing but after telling him for the tenth time that she was okay, she started to get annoyed.

“Settle down, will you?” Camila said a bit harshly as she eyed the 5th cup of tea. “I just have a sprain. I’m not invalid.”

“I’m just worried about you.” Matthew answered as he placed the cup on the dresser and looked at Camila with a worried look on his face. “And I have to admit, a bit guilty. If I joined you in your run ---.”

“Then what? I could have still slipped. Accidents will happen. I’m fine. You are the one who needs to chill.”

“Camila ---“

“No. You should go out with your buddies.”

“I won’t leave you alone.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic. I have like a gazillion food at my side. My phone is all charged up. And the bathroom is just a few hops away.”

“I can’t. I won’t.”

“Then just give me some space,” Camila said with more sting that she intended.

Matthew stared helplessly at Camila before nodding his head. “Sure.” Matthew saluted before stepping backwards to exit the room.  “If you need me, I’ll be in the ---.”

“I won’t.” Camila glared as she cut him off.

Matthew sighed helplessly as he closed the door behind him.

Camila leaned back on the pillows as she closed her eyes, finally feeling the stress leave her body. She should have probably felt a little guilty but she just couldn’t be bothered. It must be the medicines, was her last thought as she drifted off to sleep.

The feeling of fingers running through her hair, jolted her from her sleep. She was about to snap at Matthew when through her half opened eyes, she recognized Lauren looking at her from above. That was when she realized she was lying on the sofa, her head on Lauren’s lap.

“Did you have a good dream?”

Camila smiled at the raspy voice as she closed her eyes once more.

“I know you’re awake.”

 Camila smiled again and then snuggled deeper into Lauren’s body.

“Cams… rehearsals is in 5 minutes. You have to wake up.”

“No.”

“Well I have to stand and go to the bathroom.” Lauren said as she tried to gently push Camila off her.

“No…” Camila settled in deeper.

“Camila…” Lauren tried again, not so gently this time, to get from under Camila. And then in one swift motion, Camila surprised her by sitting up and then hugging her tightly. “Hey… what’s up?” Lauren asked at the sudden show of affection and hugged Camila back.

“I missed you.”

“How could you miss me when I’m just right here?”

“Because you won’t be forever… and we won’t talk… and I’m going to be sad… and you’re going to be mad… and you won’t want my hugs anymore…” Camila opened her eyes hoping she’ll be able to make Lauren understand but instead she was found herself hugging one of her pillows tightly. Then with disappointment, she threw the pillow off the bed and shut her eyes tightly as she felt the tears rising up.

After two weeks, Camila’s ankle healed and she was out and about once more. After a quick lunch with Matthew, she was back in the studio laying down lyrics to a new melody she had been working on before the accident. She finished after an hour and showed them to her producer.

The producer hummed as he looked over the notebook, his face devoid of expression.

Camila anxiously waited as he continued to read. Then when he handed back the notebook to her, she asked him what he thought.

“This is new, right? I swear you had a totally different first stanza and chorus before.”

“Is it bad?”

“No, no, no.” He said, finaly with a smile. “It’s just is very reminiscent of the songs from your first album.”

Camila stared intently at the lyrics she had written there. For a second, she frowned before looking up at her producer.  “You’re right. And this album is about this new chapter in my life where I’m older, stronger, and more mature. And this is like another song about some unrequired love.” Camila made a face, She was about to flip to a new page when her producer reached down and stopped her.

“Let’s try it. Let’s not be boxed into this theme that we created. Album writing is an organic process, you of all people know that.”

“I know,” Camila said as she nodded her head. “Yeah… let’s try to see how it sounds like.”

By the end of the night, Camila had a demo of the song. However instead of feeling good about it, she was conflicted and was more unsure of herself.

**Lauren**

Lauren was looking off into the distance, unaware of the conversations happening around here. Lately she found herself off in her own head. Writing down in her journal daily helped her to process her thoughts and feeling. And reading back, she can only shake her head at the theme that had been emerging. Seeing Camila had brought out some deep seated feelings from her past. It’s not like she hadn’t seen her before but that time in the trail was the first one in years that they were alone together. With no paparazzi, fans, family, friends, boyfriend around, she found herself slipping back into that 17 year old girl again where all she wanted was to hang out with her friend. Of course it didn’t take her long to realize then that it wasn’t really friendship she was after. And then it was a mixture of joy, anger, confusion, cuddling, fighting, and complete exhaustion. But she was digressing. Being in that trail with Camila was like before all of that happened, when all they wanted to do was to be together and they were happy. And now all she can think about was her.

“Earth to Lauren! Is someone there?”

“What?” Lauren asked as she turned towards the voice, suddenly aware that she was alone only in her head. In the real world, she was sitting by the beach with Ty and a couple of their friends.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, yeah” Lauren answered as she sheepishly grinned at her companions. “Just awed by the view,” she added as she motioned towards the beach.

“Babe, you’ve seen this hundreds of time,” Ty said as he put his arms around her.

“Doesn’t make it less awesome.” Lauren snapped a little bit defensively.

Ty stepped back a bit from Lauren, releasing his hold on her. “Hey, I’m not here to fight.” He said raising his arms in surrender. “You know, all I wanna do is spend time with you before I go on tour tomorrow… which to be honest, I should be the one annoyed since you don’t want to come.”

“Ty, we don’t have to be joint by the hip 24x7. We’ve been together for a few years now.”

“I know since you’ve pointed that our numerous times in the past few weeks. It’s just nice to have you around, you know especially after the shows?”

Lauren stayed silent for a few seconds before finally looking at him with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, just a little bit off. You know I’m going to visit you, right? I just can’t be away that long.”

“I know.” Ty conceded.

This time it was Lauren who put her arms around Ty.   

The following weekend, Lauren was sitting on the couch by herself. She was all alone as Ty and his entourage had already left for the tour. She would usually invite people over to keep her company but this time she preferred to be on her own. She just had written two pages on her journal and the only reason she stopped was that her hand hurt. It’s like something turned on inside her and things were just flowing out. She stood up and walked around and saw her phone. Then remembering that she hadn’t checked her social media in days, she decided to check what’s happening. She opened up Twitter and was a bit taken aback with the more than usual mentions. Half her mind was telling her to just throw her phone away but half was curious at what caused this spike. Whatever it was, she was sure that she wasn’t the one who caused it. Armed with the reasoning, she took a deep breath and started reading. The first few words that she saw had her taking a step back. _#camrenisback._


	4. Chapter 4

_#camrenisback_

Lauren was still reeling from shock when the doorbell rang. And then it rang again and again. Whoever was outside was not playing around. But Lauren still in shock stood frozen.

“Hey gurl, open up!I know you’re in there!”

And the doorbell rang again.

And then her phone started ringing.

The vibration of the phone, snapped Lauran out of her haze. She stared at her phone for a second before answering it.

“He… hello?”

“Lolo, open the goddamn door!”

“Dinah?”

A few minutes later, they were both standing by the kitchen, Lauren with a Jack and Coke and Dinah with the rest of the Coke. Both sipping daintily as Dinah eyed Lauren suspiciously. Once Dinah finished her drink, she placed the glass down and leaned towards Lauren until they were inches apart.

“So Ms. I never want to spend another second with her maybe you can tell me how a photo of you cuddling in the woods is making its way through the internet right now.

“We were not cuddling in the woods,” Lauren said defensively as she stepped back from Dinah.

“You do know I have eyes, right?”

They stared at each other once again until Lauren sighed in defeat. “I was out hiking by myself in this trail I heard about. Then I found her flat on the ground after she sprained her ankle. I couldn’t very well leave her alone.” She explained as she took another sip of her drink.

“Really? It just so happened that the two of you went hiking into this obscure trail on the same day, at the same time, alone? Both of you have boyfriends, loads of friends, family, PAs, security. And you both went there alone?” Dinah countered as she stepped towards Lauren, closing the distance once again. “You expect me to believe that?”

Lauren opened her mouth as if to speak but nothing came out. Instead she downed the rest of her drink in one gulp.  

“And then we have Mila listening to her old Spotify playlist that just screams camren. And on top of that, she’s sprouting some nonsense about long lost love and the one that got away in Instagram.”

Lauren sighed again as she turned her back and headed to the living room where she slumped down on her couch.

“As incredulous as it sounds, it really happened that way. I didn’t know about what Camila did afterwards. You know I usually take long breaks from social media. I just found out literally minutes before you arrived.”

“Well, that I’ll believe.” Dinah said in a more reconciliatory tone as she sat beside Lauren and placed her arms around her. “So tell me what really happened.”

“What I told you… plus I may have some said some things while we were resting.”

“Things?”

“Things that I probably should have not said. Things that were better off buried. But you know me and my big mouth.”

“Does that mean you’re getting back together?”

“No! We’re both in these freaking long term relationships,” Lauren said a little too forcefully. “Unless she said something?” She added after a beat in a quieter tone.

Dinah smiled at her friend.

**Camila**

Camila’s phone has been ringing non-stop since the photo of Lauren and her surfaced. Apparently someone from the group they met on the trail took a picture of them surreptitiously. And as much as she tried to explain that Lauren was just helping her walk, everyone had already made up their mind. It probably didn’t help that she had been acting weirdly in the past few weeks, posting stuff she had no business posting.

She was so stressed with the paparazzi that she stopped going out unless it was really necessary. She also decided to ignore her social media accounts, the mentions and comment had become so overwhelming. And the questions from well-meaning family and friends, she couldn’t take them so she ignored her phone. And now Matthew seems convinced that something happened between Lauren and her and decided to ignore her. Of all the things, the last one was a blessing.

So here she was alone, wallowing in her self-made prison, writing furiously. Songs that she decided will never see the light of day. But it was a pity, she thought. If she was being honest with herself, they were infinitely better than the ones she had already composed.

It was even sadder that the person she wrote all these for will never get the chance to hear them.     


	5. Chapter 5

Sinu surveyed the messy house as she entered the front door. Her daughter asked her to come, so she flew from Miami as fast as she could. Just a year ago, she travelled and stay where her first born was. But after a family talk, they all decided that Sinu needed to stay and spend more time with Sofi and that Camila will be okay on her own. And for the most part, Camila was okay. They were in constant communication so Sinu wasn’t worried. But last night, Camila called crying.

“Camila?” Sinu called out.

“Mama!” Camila came flying out of the bedroom and ran towards her mother, hugging her tightly.   

“How are you?” Sinu asked when Camila finally released her. “And where’s Matthew?”

“He’s with his brother. He’s staying there for a while,” Camila answered as she sat down on the couch.

Sinu hummed with disappointment as she sat down beside her daughter.

“No, it’s fine,” Camila quickly explained. “I don’t want him around anyway.”

“That is not how relationship works, mija.”

“Yeah… well…”

Sinu took a deep breath, forcing herself to leave that discussion for another day. “So tell me what’s happening.”  

“It’s all these people asking about Lauren again. It’s… it’s just overwhelming and…” Camila suddenly burst out crying.

Sinu wrapped her arms around Camila and pulled her closer. “It’s okay, mija.”

It must have been around fifteen minutes before Sinu noticed that Camila had stopped crying. Her shoulders had stopped quaking and her breathing had evened out. Her daughter had fallen asleep.

**Camila**

After a few hours, Camila opened her eyes. The smell of her favorite foods wafted over to where she was lying.  Lifting herself up from the couch, she saw her mother lording over the stove. It was the first time in weeks, she felt genuinely happy.

“These smells good, Mama.”

Sinu turned her head towards her daughter, giving her a smile, before focusing back on the stove. “Why don’t you set the table? We’re eating in thirty minutes.”

Camila went over the cupboard and took out two plates.

“That’s not enough. One more please.”

Camila froze as she tried to control the anxiety that was starting to surface. “Ma, I told you that I don’t want Matt ---“

“It’s not him.” Sinu cut her off. “Just set the table and clean up a bit.”

“Then who’s coming?”

“You’ll find out later. Go now.”

Camila sighed but did as told. The last thing she wanted was company.

**Lauren**

“Oh, Hi Sinu. I didn’t expect you to call.” Lauren said as she looked at Dinah in alarm. “Oh… I don’t know. I’m expecting some peop ----.” Lauren nodded as she paused for a few seconds. “I… ahh… of course haven’t forgotten. I’m sure I can move my plans around. I’ll see you later. Bye.” Lauren lowered her phone.   

Dinah looked at Lauren. “What was that about?”

“Sinu is here in LA. And she wants me to come by for dinner.”

“And?”

“She guilted me into it.”

Dinah laughed at her friend. “You’re such a sucker for your mother-in-law.”

“Shut up Dinah.”

“What? There’s no one here except us. Is she cooking Cuban?”

“Yeah.”

“Then regardless of what goes down atleast you’ll be happily fed.”

“Yeah... What did I get myself into.”

**Camila**

After Camila took a quick shower, she was back in the kitchen watching her mother intently as she tried to guess who was coming over.

“Why don’t you just tell me?” Camila whined after naming atleast 20 people.

Before Sinu can answer, the doorbell suddenly rang. “Now you don’t have to guess,” Sinu said as she smiled at Camila. “Be a good girl and welcome our guest.”

Camila took a deep breath and walked over to the front door. She opened the door and was surprised to see Lauren standing nervously in front of her. She immediately stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

“What are you doing here?” Camila whispered. “My mom is inside.”

“I know, Camila. She invited me over.”

“What?”

The door opened. “There you are. Come give me a hug,” Sinu said when she saw Lauren.

“Hi Sinu,” Lauren said as she stepped forward and gave Sinu a quick hug.

“Come, come inside. You’re just in time.”

After a few minutes, all three were seated around the table filled with several Cuban dishes.

“These all look great, Sinu. I’m glad I came.”

“Little thing I can do to thank you for helping my little girl. You know how clumsy she gets.” Sinu said as she handed a plate of rice and beans to Lauren.

“I remember,” Lauren said with a laugh. “I’m just glad I was there,” she added while scooping a large amount of beans onto her plate.

“Yeah, thanks,” Camila said quietly as she took a piece of tamales. Sinu looked on thoughtfully at her daughter before turning back to Lauren and asking her what has been happening with her. The rest of the meal finished with Lauren and Sinu talking as Camila just sat quietly by. Even though they tried to engage Camila in the conversation, she mostly replied in yes and no. She barely looked up from her plate. After an hour, everyone was done eating. Lauren offered to clean up but Sinu did not let her.

“Lauren, you’re the guest of honor today. No need for that,” Sinu said as she led Lauren to the living room, leaving Camila to clean up. “Why don’t you sit for a while?”

Lauren looked at her watch and then turned to Sinu guiltily.

“I know, I know.” Sinu said as she nodded her head. “You have to leave. Thank you for joining us.”

“No, no, no. It’s me who should thank you. It’s been months since I last had authentic homemade Cuban food. So thank you.”

Sinu reached out for Lauren’s hand. Then turned around to call her daughter. “Camila, Lauren is leaving.”

“Bye Lauren,” Camila barely looked over.

“That daughter of mine,” Sinu sighed as she shook her head.

“It’s okay.” Lauren said forcing a smile.

After Lauren left, Sinu came back to the kitchen to look at her daughter intently. She knew something was going on and very slowly the picture was forming.


	6. Chapter 6

“Sinu, it’s good to you,” Matthew said as he gave her a quick hug and then pulled out her chair as she sat down.

“Matthew, what’s happening?” Sinu asked without even waiting for him to get to his seat.

“I don’t know. She’s been acting weird lately ever since the accident. She’s always annoyed at me and when the Camren news broke, it has only gotten worse. I needed some space.”

“You know she’s young. She gets ideas in her head ---“

“Maybe that’s it.” Matthew, ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “She’s young and I’m older. I know what I want. And she’s still probably figuring out herself. You know how sweet she is but she can get crazy sometimes, running around with all these manic energy. And then her mood swings and I couldn’t even talk to her. God, it feels like a dry run for when my kid becomes a teenager.”

“So you already have a kid and don’t need another one?”

Matthew slowly raised his head and found Sinu smiling sadly at him.  

**Lauren**

“Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere?” Lauren asked Dinah, somewhat drunkenly after having downed half a bottle of whiskey.

“Nope,” Dinah answered. “I’m on a one month break and I was just planning to chill. And besides if I’m not here, who will take care of you?”

“I don’t need someone to look out for me,” Lauren said after elbowing the whiskey and spilling the remaining contents on the table.

“No, of course not.” Dinah said as she righted the bottle and then got some napkin to wipe the mess. “But I like watching you make a fool of yourself.”

“Some friend you are,” Lauren muttered as she placed her head down on her arms.

“Come on. You know I’m just kidding.” Dinah said as she placed her arms around Lauren and gave her a tight squeeze.

“I know,” Lauren said as she rested her head on Dinah’s shoulders.  “You’re a good friend. I’m just drunk.”

“Yes, you are. And confused. And nostalgic. And I don’t want to see you throw something away without thinking about it clearly.”

“Ty?”

“Or that girl you used to be so crazy about.”

“Dinah, you’re the one who’s confused.” Lauren said as she lifted her head and looked at her friend. “You can’t throw away something that isn’t yours.”

“Not everyone gets second chances, Lauren,” Dinah said with a shrug. “You should stop drinking that poison, get out of the house, and think with a clear mind. Just saying.”

**Camila**

“You know who I just met” Sinu asked as she entered the house and found Camila watching television.

“Who?”

“Matthew.” Camila shook her head in response and then turned the tv’s volume higher. Sinu walked over and then reached for the remote control and turned the tv off. “We have to talk.”  

Camila looked up at her mother and saw how determined she was. Knowing that there’s no way she can get out of this, Camila took a deep breath to steady herself.

“You remember when you announced to the family that you have a boyfriend and that he was ten years older than you?”

“I do.”

“Do you remember what I said?”

“You said you were happy for me and can’t wait to meet him.”

“What you didn’t know is that after you went off with Sofi, I turned to your father and told him that it was a bad idea. You were too young and he was too old. You were still trying to figure out who you were without the girls and a relationship will only confuse you more. But you seemed happy so I didn’t say anything.”

“Mama, I ---“

“Wait, let me finish,” Sinu said as she raised her hand to silence her daughter. “Then for the next few months, you’d meet each other only every few weeks and I said to Alejandro, they are not real. Because I remember when I met you father, we couldn’t stay away from each other very long. I didn’t worry as much. But then after your tour, you bought a house in LA and settled down there. And that’s when I saw you two becoming serious. You really seem to care about each other. That’s why I agreed to stay in Miami more. Someone is going to look out for you.”

“And he did.” Camila said quietly.

“Yes, he did. You have been together for three years, mija. Why are you pushing him away?”

“I don’t know.”

“But you love him?”

“I do.”

“But not as much as you love the girl.”

Camila’s eyes widened at her mother’s words.

“You, young people like to think that your parents don’t know what you’re going through. We’ve been around far longer. You fall in love for the first time and think that we don’t understand. Mija, we had our hearts broken multiple times. And you think that parents are so old fashioned and rigid that we won’t understand falling in love with the same gender. Your generation did not invent the gays and the lesbians. It has been happening long before you and I were born.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything, something?”

“You had been very open with me, Camila. I figured if it was really something serious, you’d be the one to say something.”

“And I got myself a boy.” Camila said with a humorless laugh.

Sinu smiled at her daughter. “You’ve always have this penchant to overthink things and I’ll tell you what I’ve always told you, jump.”

“And throw everything away?”

“If that is what your heart is telling you. And whatever happens, you know that we’ll always be here for you.”

**The following week**

Still catching her breath, Lauren made the final step to the summit, yelled in triumph, and promptly laid down on the ground. The warmth of the sun on her face along with the gentle breeze was so relaxing that Lauren felt her heartbeat slowly going back to normal. Dinah was right. She needed to get out.

“Hi Lauren.”

Without opening her eyes, Lauren felt her heartbeat drumming up a storm and along with it the million butterflies mindlessly fluttering around in her stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

“Lauren?”

Lauren did not move.

“Well, I know you’re awake. There’s no way you could have fallen asleep in less than a minute.”

Lauren opened one eye and squinted at Camila.

“Come on,” Camila said as she reached for Lauren’s hand and pulled her up.

“What are you doing here?” Lauren asked as she brushed off the soil from her clothes.

“You know, a not so little birdy with a not so quiet voice told me that you’ll be here.”

“And I suppose that birdy has a name that starts with a D and ends with none of her business.”

“Yup.” Camila nodded.

“I should have known,” Lauren said with a sigh. “But that doesn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”

“At risk of killing myself by tripping again,” Camila laughed awkwardly. “I’m here because I want to talk to you… alone.”

“Okay. I’m here. You’re here. And there’s no one around. What do you want to say to me?”

Instead of speaking, Camila walked around the summit and checked all trails leading up. Satisfied, she turned back to face Lauren. “I can’t.”                                                                                                                   

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t do this. Not anymore. Not again.”

“I didn’t think we were doing anything.” As Lauren spoke those words, she saw the hurt flash in Camila’s eyes before she turned away from her. “Damn it,” Lauren muttered to herself. “You’re right. I’m doing it again to you,” Lauren added a little louder.

Camila turned back slowly, her eyes wide in surprise at Lauren’s confession.

“Ever since we saw each other, all I thought about was you. Even in my dreams, you were there. Every morning I wake up with your face seared on my brain. I’ve thought that you in the most appropriate and in the most inappropriate way. All I want is you.” Lauren paused as she took a deep breath. “But then I remember I’m not a teenager anymore, that I’m not single. And I know I have to make the right choice.”

“And I was never the right one even then,” Camila spoke softly. “I don’t understand how can millions of people love me but I can never get it from the one I want.”

“You don’t seriously believe that, right?” Lauren asked as she shook her head in disbelief. “I never stopped loving you, Camila. But you and me, we just won’t work. We’re ---“

“But we never really tried.” Camila hated the whining in her voice but she couldn’t help herself.              

“And you want to try now?”

“No!” Camila said heatedly. “That’s exactly the opposite of what I’m saying. I don’t want to do this dance anymore.”

“Okay, then I guess we are in agreement,” Lauren said as she turned away from Camila.

“Yes,” Camila said more softly.

Lauren blinked back the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill. Not wanting to face Camila, Lauren sat down on the edge of the summit. After a beat, Camila sat down beside her.

“I’ve moved on. I’m living a fantastic life. I have a man who loves me and he’s not afraid to show it to the entire world.”

“That’s good,” Lauren responded. “Inspite of what you think about me, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy. I know what I did. I pretended not to see the hurt in your eyes. But I knew. I knew I was the one causing you pain. So I had to stay away because I can’t stand the fact that I’m the one making you cry every night.”

“What in hell is that supposed to mean?” Camila asked sharply.

“I couldn’t love you the way you deserved to be loved. In brief moments of clarity when we were together, even I understood that. So I pushed you away.”

“Maybe it was for the better.” Camila said softly, sadly as she looked down.

Lauren suddenly let out a laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Us. We sound like we’re breaking up. And we’re not even together. Not for the longest time, anyway.”

Camila smiled in response. Then she moved closer so that they were sitting next to each other, their shoulders touching. She then laid her head on Lauren’s shoulder. And they sat like that quietly as they watched the sun go down.

It was nearly dark when Camila spoke up. “It’s late. We better get going.”

“So this is really it, then?” Lauren said sadly. “Our swan song.”

Camila merely nodded as she stood up. After a few seconds, Lauren followed suit.

“Camila…” Lauren called out as she reached for Camila’s left hand.

Camila turned around and found herself face to face with Lauren once more. But this time, there was something different with the way Lauren was looking at her. Then Lauren leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. It must have been just a second but to Camila it felt far longer before Lauren stepped back with that sad look again. Then after a second, Lauren released her hand and smiled. That was her good bye.

Camila touched her lips as she looked at Lauren. Then smiled back with a smile that never reached her eyes. Bringing her hand back down, she turned towards the trail and walked a few steps before noticing that there’s no one behind her. She looked back and saw that Lauren had sat back down and was now looking at the darkening sky. “Aren’t you coming down?” Camila called out.

Lauren lowered her head and turned her gaze towards Camila. “I think I’ll stay here for a while. It’s full moon tonight. I bet it looks good from here.”

Camila hesitated. For a second, she looked like she wanted to stay but instead she nodded. Then she turned back towards the trail and started walking down. It was a little difficult, a little slow even using her phone as a flashlight. She stumbled a few times but after a while, she got the hang of it and started moving a little faster. Each step moving her farther away from Lauren, from the girl who she always wanted, from the love she always craved. This is really it, she thought. Their swan song. Their final goodbye. And after tonight, there’s no turning back. Even if she wanted to. Even if she still wants to. Camila froze. “What the fuck am I doing?” Then without giving it another thought, she turned back and started running back up the trail. Her light swinging madly about, she slipped more times that she can count.  But she got back up everytime. And then she ran into Lauren who was panting as hard as she was.

“Camila?”

“Lauren?”

“We’re just two big idiots, aren’t we?” Camila asked as she tried to catch her breath.

“Yes, apparently we are,” Lauren said with a grin on her face.

“People are going to hate us.”

“You know what,” Lauren said with a scoff, “people are going to hate no matter what we do. And I for one am tired of always giving in.”

“How about Ty, how about Matt?”

“I just want to be happy for once, Cams.”

“Me too, Lauren,” Camila said as she gazed into those green eyes. This time there were no hesitation, no fear. Just them, staring into each other’s eyes unabashed and unapologetic.  “Me too.”

As they walked down hours later hand in hand, Camila had to agree with Lauren. The moon was never more beautiful than it was that night.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Of course, they're ending back together. If you loved it (or liked it), send back some love.


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